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LAS VEGAS - At the event billed USA vs. Canada, two contests loomed large on a fight card designed to split fans along national lines. Arguably eclipsing the main event in terms of interest, the bout between prodigal son B.J. Penn and the explosively popular Georges St. Pierre promised to be an early candidate for Fight of the Year.
Could Penn overcome St. Pierre's athleticism and stop the momentum the French-Canadian had built since his loss to Matt Hughes? If the fight went to the ground, could St. Pierre-who spent time honing his jiu-jitsu with Renzo Gracie-match the technique of perhaps the best American grappler to ever step on the mat?
 BLOOD FLOWED - Icho Larenas, with blood flowing from his forehead, attempts to block Tom Murphy's punch. The cut
No less difficult to call was the title fight between Rich Franklin and David Loiseau. Franklin had looked invincible-excluding a tough fight with Jorge Rivera, whom "Ace" eventually submitted in the third round-since dropping down from light heavyweight, but many believed that Loiseau possessed the tools to cause an upset. In particular, Loiseau's elbows were viewed as some of the most dangerous weapons in the sport.
Putting all the pre-fight chatter to rest, the fighters stepped into the Octagon and did their thing.
Tom Murphy vs. Icho Larenas
Both fighters were tentative at the start, eliciting boos from the crowd. Murphy, who improved on his showing in "TUF 2" and displayed some effective ground and pound, scored a double leg, but the Canadian's guard was nice and tight and Murphy couldn't create the necessary separation. The momentum swung after an accidental headbutt caused a gash on Larenas' forehead.
Murphy proceeded to take Larenas down at will, scoring points with solid ground and pound. In the third round, Larenas bled profusely as Murphy landed consecutive elbows. When he saw the blood flowing freely into the Canadian's eyes, the referee could find no reason to let the fight continue.
Jason Lambert vs. Rob MacDonald
In his UFC debut, Lambert greatly impressed with his aggression and technique. From the start, he went right after "TUF 2" alumnus MacDonald, who did well to sprawl and avoid the takedown. Both fighters swung for the fences but failed to connect. Isolating his opponent's arm, Lambert landed a kimura, forcing MacDonald to tap just seconds later.
Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher
These two guys were a sublime reminder of what we've been missing the last couple of years in the UFC. The lightweight division is arguably the most action-packed in the sport, and the only thing missing from this war was a definitive finish. The fight took place all across the Octagon. You had big exchanges followed by big takedowns. You had submission attempts followed by escapes and reversals. Fisher was characteristically aggressive, getting takedowns in the first round. But Stout proved adept at escaping and getting back to his feet. A highlight of the round was a wheel kick, a la Georges St. Pierre, that struck Stout in the chest.
Coming from a muay Thai background, Stout showed an array of strikes that began to take their toll. Fisher's face was marked and bloody by the third round, as Stout tirelessly sent kicks and punches toward the Miletich fighter's head. Despite evidence that both fighters were tiring, the high tempo continued. Stout's resistance from bottom position, coupled with the heavier damage inflicted, was the difference in this fight, winning him a split decision.
Mark Hominick vs. Yves Edwards
 THE AGONY OF DEFEAT - As Yves Edwards agonizes over his defeat, Canada's Mark Hominick rejoices by doing a set of
The Canadian-the TKO Promotion's champion at 145 pounds-was moving up in weight class, but he showed no fear of the man considered the uncrowned king of the UFC lightweight division. Hominick stalked Edwards the entire first round, often clinching with his opponent and throwing elbows before separating. He looked the more comfortable in the cage, and he also looked Edward's equal in the striking department.
The Texan's game plan changed in the second round as he went for the takedown, but Hominick fought it well and stayed on his feet. The Canadian then hurt Edwards with a liver shot, and the latter reacted by taking the fight to the ground. Hominick gradually worked a triangle choke that Edwards seemed slow to react to.
Nathan Marquardt vs. Joe Doerksen
Marquardt was looking for redemption after a lackluster UFC debut against Ivan Salaverry. He was aggressive in the first round against the experienced and savvy Doerksen who was happy to trade on the feet. But it was Marquardt who was winning the stand-up battle, landing some good leg kicks and knees from the clinch. On the ground, the skills of both fighters neutralized each other. Because Marquardt controlled the pace of the fight and for the damage he inflicted, he earned the unanimous decision.
Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn
 PENN IS HOOKED - GSP, who earned the split decision, cracks B.J. Penn with a right hook.
Everyone thought this had Fight of the Year written all over it, and everybody was right. The atmosphere was electric as two of the best fighters, pound-for-pound, got ready to compete for a shot at Matt Hughes and the welterweight title.
The American, who lost the title without ever losing a fight, was the aggressor in the first round. His stand-up was smooth and sharp, and he bloodied St. Pierre with a series of jabs. From what St. Pierre said post-fight, he also got poked in the eye, causing him to see "two B.J. Penns." When the horn sounded, St. Pierre was so flustered and red-faced that he went to the wrong corner. Penn, on the other hand, looked to have barely broken a sweat.
After an impassioned pep talk from his corner, St. Pierre emerged for the second round a changed fighter. He was aggressive with his strikes and whereas Penn stuffed a takedown attempt in the first round, St. Pierre dumped Penn to the canvas at the start of the second. It was the first of a series of takedowns that scored well with the judges.
If St. Pierre looked flustered at the end of the first round, the tables had turned by the end of the second. Though his face was unmarked, Penn looked winded as he listened to instructions from cornerman Matt Lindland.
St. Pierre started out the third round with a hard leg kick followed by a punch. Perhaps a deciding factor in the judges' eyes, St. Pierre picked Penn up from the clinch and slammed him to the canvas, putting the French-Canadian's many fans into a rapturous mood. When it was over, the judges awarded the split decision to St. Pierre.
The fight was a true test of character for the French-Canadian. After a disastrous first round where he looked out-of-sorts, he won the second and third rounds by imposing his will. He never looked on the verge of ending the fight nor putting Penn into serious trouble, but his takedowns and work rate presumably swayed the judges. The French-Canadian has been remarkable in the last year, beating three of the top welterweights in the world.
Mike Swick vs. Steve Vigneault
Some believed that the heavy-handed Canadian would finally provide a test to the "TUF 1" fighter whose previous two fights in the UFC had failed to last longer than a minute combined. Vigneault happily stood and traded with Swick in the opening moments, which delighted the latter fighter. Swick grinned and motioned for his opponent to "bring it on." A flying knee caught Vigneault as he dove in for a double leg. Impressively, Swick then transitioned into a guillotine choke from which Vigneault was forced to tap.
Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau
 FRANKLIN ACES THE CROW - Rich Franklin's right splits David Loiseau's arms. Franklin earned the unanimous decision
If there could be such a thing, this one was a lopsided war. Franklin stalked Loiseau for most of this fight, with the latter even running away at times to avoid Ace's incessant strikes. In the first round, Loiseau blocked most of the champion's punches and kicks, but they came at such velocity and landed with such a thud that no doubt they caused some damage. Franklin's persistence paid off as he dropped Loiseau with a left hand, but the horn sounded before Ace could capitalize.
Loiseau looked unsteady at the start of the second round. A flurry stunned Loiseau, who reacted by scrambling backward along the fence. Franklin caught up with his prey and dropped him for the second time. The effort clearly tired out the champion who was breathing heavily, and somewhere along the way he reportedly broke his left hand. However, the injury failed to stop him from throwing punches. Loiseau's left eye began to swell from the barrage. By the end of the fight, a very large mouse would sit perched atop his eye. Franklin took the fight to the ground and got Loiseau's back, searching for the rear naked choke but Loiseau, known for his back defense, was happy to defend the choke.
The domination continued into the third round. After the re-start, Loiseau stunned everybody by dropping Franklin with a huge right hand. The Canadian rushed to capitalize, but Franklin, as he did against Evan Tanner, recovered quickly and grabbed Loiseau's leg. The shift in momentum was short and like a hallucination.
 THE THRILL OF VICTORY - Tom Murphy is all smiles after his victory.
The Canadian showed great heart in the fifth round. The man never gave up. He launched several kicks toward Ace's head and body, but Franklin won the round decisively by working effective side control and back control.
After the fight, both men went to the hospital. Franklin not only hurt Loiseau, but he hurt himself by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the French-Canadian. Both fighters exemplified the warrior spirit.
Doug Jeffrey contributed to this report.
Official Scorecard - Division: Heavyweight - Tom Murphy defeated Icho Larenas by TKO at 1:59 of the third round.
- Division: Light Heavyweight - Jason Lambert defeated Rob MacDonald by submission (kimura) at 1:54 of the Round 1.
- Division: Lightweight - Sam Stout defeated Spencer Fisher by split decision.
- Division: Lightweight - Mark Hominick defeated Yves Edwards by submission (triangle choke) at 1:53 of Round 2.
- Division: Middleweight - Nathan Marquardt defeated Joe Doerksen by unanimous decision
- Division: Welterweight - Georges St. Pierre defeated B.J. Penn by split decision
- Division: Middleweight - Mike Swick defeated Steve Vigneault by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:09 of the Round 1.
- Division: Middleweight Championship Bout - Rich Franklin defeated David Loiseau by unanimous decision.
News and Notes - The lightweight division returned to the Octagon after nearly two years of inaction.
- Three fighters bowed out due to injury or illness. •Doctors refused to clear Diego Sanchez to fight. The welterweight contender and "TUF 1" winner spent time in a hospital because of a nasty virus. •Kenny Florian was forced to pull out of his lightweight bout with Sam Stout because of a freakish back injury. The "TUF 1" finalist pinched a nerve while packing his bags for Las Vegas. •Heavyweight Christophe Midoux suffered a hernia during light training two days before the event.
- Heavyweight Icho Larenas was such a late replacement for Christophe Midoux that no one, including emcee and commentator Joe Rogan, knew about it until matchmaker Joe Silva raced on stage at the weigh-ins to make the announcement.
- Spencer Fisher was reportedly sipping on a Coke when Joe Silva invited him to the Octagon as a replacement for Florian. On two days notice, he dropped more than 20 pounds to make the 155-pound limit.
- There was a vocal Canadian presence at the weigh-ins. Arguably, the fans of Team Canada drowned out their American counterparts. The roar for GSP was especially loud.
Quotes "On Sunday, I was packing for Vegas and felt like my back needed a crack. I went to crack it, leaned over and I collapsed to the floor. It felt like a steak knife was thrown into my back. The muscles just completely locked up. It's probably the most painful thing that's ever happened to me. I couldn't walk, I couldn't do anything." -Kenny Florian
"We were in a big hole. We had more than 20 pounds to cut in two days. We got 19 off pretty easy by just changing his diet and sweating a bunch." -Billy Rush, talking about helping Spencer Fisher cut weight in two days"
I lost a decision, but I did what I set out to do. I wanted to go in and show I had good stand-up and surprise a few people. I think I pretty much surprised everyone in the building, so I'm happy about that. My corner told me I won a decision, but what am I going to say? There's nothing I could do about it." -Joe Doerksen
"My conditioning is pretty [much] up there. Even if I went really hard and got tired, I knew he [Rob MacDonald] was oing to be tired too. So, that's why I wanted to push the pace. I didn't think he had that type of pace." -Jason Lambert
"I knew he had a good guillotine. I saw it in a couple of fights, but he caught me. Maybe I was too nervous." - Steve Vigneault
"There was a guy in my head telling me that Mark Hominick was tough. However, everyone else was saying that I had the fight won. I got caught up in the hype. It's a tough lesson." -Yves Edwards, after his loss to Hominick
"What was my strategy [against David Loiseau]? Win." -Rich Franklin Show comments (1) - Add comments to this article: |
